Wednesday, 5/5/10
by musicclipoftheday
Without hitting you over the head with his classical training, this guy, early in his career, took pop songs to new places—melodically, harmonically, structurally.
Randy Newman
Dusty Springfield, “I Don’t Want To Hear It Anymore” (1969)
*****
“Just One Smile”
Gene Pitney (1966 [#8, UK Charts])
***
Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)
*****
Randy Newman, live (TV broadcast [with The BBC Concert Orchestra, London]), “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today” (2008; first recorded in 1966 [Julius LaRosa, 8/66; Judy Collins, 11/66])
**********
lagniappe
To me, someone who writes really good songs is Randy Newman. . . . You know, he’s got that down to an art. Now Randy knows music. He knows music.—Bob Dylan (1991)
music clip of the day 
i’ll always remember us seeing him for the first time at the quiet knight, pretty much the last ones there thru the second set, requesting stuff like “just one smile” that he may have never performed before (or since). his voice strained for the high notes, but i think he enjoyed the fact that there were those who knew and loved his music at a time when few knew his name.